A New Direction

Hello to my faithful followers!  If you're still following me, you've probably come to realize just as I have that selling hand-knits isn't my passion.  :)

For a long time I've been wanting to work more on designing hand-knits. And that includes writing patterns for the items I design. Well, I've started! And along with this new direction I've started a new blog.  In a month or two I plan to delete this blog. So if you want to continue following me and my adventures in knitting, please stop by my new blog:  http://perfectioknits.com

Blessings,
Stephanie

P.S. Right now I'm holding a blog launch...with a giveaway from now until May 2! Come check it out!

ravellenic games 2012: final events

The Summer Olympics are officially done.  A final congrats to all the Olympic athletes who did their very best!  Whether they brought home a medal or not, they are all winners in my mind.  Super job!

We watched the Closing Ceremony live online {this afternoon here in the Midwest}, so we would be able to all go to bed at a more normal time.  Tomorrow is a big day for the kids and I, so we definitely need a good night's rest!  Do you know I homeschool my kiddos?  Is that crazy?  Sometimes I think so!  It's most definitely a lot of work, but I know in the end it's worth it! 

Tomorrow is the first day of Kindergarten for my youngest, Caleb.  The first day of Seventh Grade for my eldest, Thomas.  And of course, the first day of teaching for me. Yikes!  But I'm ready--at least I think I am! 

I decided to go ahead and make a couple more of my crochet baby hats for the Ravellenic Games.  The photos are again not very good quality (especially the coloring) since I took these with the iPad with poor lighting, but you can sort of see what they look like:

 

I did not quite finish the lace scarf, but I have a great start on it and should be able to get it done this week if I have time to work on it. Here it is at the end of the Games:

Here are my "medals" from Ravelry:

Earned for finishing my Swift Sak

Earned for making my Sweet Little Shrug

Earned 3 times for making my crochet baby hats:  one,  two,  three

Also earned 3 times for making my crochet baby hats:  one,  two,  three

That's a total of 8 medals!  Hip hip hooray! I feel like I've accomplished something in the past couple weeks!

As you might have noticed, some items can be entered into more than one category!  Thus, my hats each gave me two medals.  <insert cheesy grin>

If you are a knitter or crocheter and aren't on Ravelry yet, I highly recommend you do so!  It's a fabulous site:  lots of great patterns to browse, people to "meet", and I especially love that I can post photos and info from the projects I make.  It helps me keep track of what I've done and when, and what yarns and needles I used too!  So helpful!

And now, I must get myself to bed.  I need a good night's rest so I can be a happy teacher tomorrow.
Good night and thanks for stopping by!

ravellenic games 2012: 3rd event

Are you enjoying the London Summer Olympics as much as I am?  My favorite sport to watch has been fencing!  I also love watching gymnastics, swimming, diving, volleyball, track and field, and equestrian events!  Do you have a favorite Summer Olympics sport?  

Last night I finished another project. This time it was a crocheted baby hat.  And yes, this is one that will find itself in my Etsy shop someday soon!  I want to make some interchangeable/removable flowers for it first though.  

I also have been working on a knitted scarf the past few days. It's going to take me a bit longer to finish since 1) it's a scarf, 2) I'm using lace weight yarn (skinnier yarns tend to take longer to knit), and 3) I need to follow the lace pattern which takes a bit more concentration.

I have 5 days to finish!  Hopefully, I can get it done!  And I may take a few knitting breaks to make another baby hat or two as well.  

Well, that's my update for now...

Go Team USA!

ravellenic games 2012: 2nd event

This morning I finished my second project:

Pattern: Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet by Julia Allen
Yarn:  Cascade 128 Superwash (2 skeins)
Needles: US 11

It just needs to be blocked so the front doesn't roll back.

I love that this little shrug is reversible!  So cute and a quick knit too!

ravellenic games 2012: 1st event

As I promised in my last post, here's an update on my "events" for the 2012 Ravellenic Games!

My first project to cross the finish line is my Swift Sak!  

Entered in the event WIPS WRESTLING (WIP is the acronym for Work In Progress), I finally finished this project last night at 11:25pm.  The main rule for this event is to work on and finish a project already started, but it must be something that you haven't worked on since May 15, 2012.  I dug out a project that has been hibernating for over a year!  

You can see I left a stitch marker there...that's approximately the point where I had originally stopped working on it.  I really didn't have all that much left to go on the bag itself, but the 54" i-cord was rather tedious to knit!  Despite that, I persevered and got it done! Once the knitting was finished, I just had a few ends to weave in and the i-cord needed to be sewn to the bottom of the bag.  Seeing the end in sight, I kept working last night until it was done! It's a nifty design and I'm thankful to Kris Carlson who designed and shared her pattern. Thanks, Kris!

It's all done now and I'm happy to be using my Swift Sak!  My yarn swift is happy to have it's own little storage/carry bag now too!  Yay!  

So I have finished my first event for the 2012 Ravellenic Games!

Now which project/event to do next?

summer update

Greetings! How's your summer going? Mine has been going WAY TOO FAST! I can hardly believe July is almost gone! How about you? Is your summer flying away from you as well?

Here in Northern Minnesota we've been having a hot and dry summer. Something we're not really all that accustomed to, I might add. I love the warm days and lack of mosquitoes, but 90 plus degrees is a bit much for even me. Today is finally a bit more normal and a blessed relief. Now, if only we'd get a little rain too. We really need it.

Tomorrow! the London Olympics begin and my family is excitedly anticipating the kick off! We even signed up for Satellite TV (after many years with just a few local channels) so we can watch as many events as possible!  As a knitter, I'm pleased that Ravelry (despite needing to make a few minor changes because of this) is once again holding their Ravelympics.  Renamed the Ravellenic Games for 2012 (see above link to learn why), I see this as an opportunity to set myself some knitting (and/or crocheting) goals and then see whether I can accomplish the goal(s) during the time frame of the Olympic games.  There are even some Teams set up that, like Olympic Teams, work together and/or cheer each other on to accomplish their goals. So far, I have chosen not to join a team, since working on one's own is fine too, but perhaps I'll consider joining one next time around just to see what it's like.  It might be fun!  Either way, it's wonderful to challenge oneself and to have a plethora of possible projects to pursue while watching and cheering on athletes from all over the world as they challenge themselves to do their very best and maybe even bring home a medal or two.

I have quite a few projects (Events, that is) that I'm already planning to work on and can't wait until I get to cast on tomorrow (at 3 pm here in the Central time zone which = 9 pm London time)!  I intend to share my Ravellenic Games accomplishments with you so be watching for updates on all the things I make/do.  I might even find a little time for designing something new too!

So as we watch the Olympic athletes as they compete, I'll be knitting as I cheer "GO TEAM USA!"

As for my perfectioKnits business, I'm seriously struggling with procrastination issues. {Anyone out there a procrastinator too?  Perhaps you'll understand.} If you follow me on Facebook, then you may have seen my posting--back in May--about my plans to work this summer on getting some patterns ready to sell instead of reopening my shop right away.  I must confess, I haven't even started!  I still have hopes and dreams of getting myself in gear and getting some patterns finished before we start homeschooling again in just a couple short weeks (and this year I have to get to teach both boys--a Kindergartener and a 7th Grader!), but if I don't get make time to write up my patterns at this point in time, I hope you won't give up on me and know that I will get to it...eventually!  I do have a few fall-to-winter items that are ready-to-sell and will get those listed in my Etsy shop as soon as I can get some good photos of them! 

Thanks for being loyal "fans" and sticking with me!   

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!  Did you see the July treasury I put together?  If not, you'll want to check it out here. 

Or you can check out this fantastic blog right here where my treasury list and one of my items were featured today!  Sweet!  By the way, I LOVE the "Treasury Tuesday" idea...maybe I'll do that myself sometime too!

Today, I listed a couple of long-tailed patriotic newborn hats (photo props) that I had been fighting with working on for quite some time.  They knitted up just fine.  So what took me so long?  Well, the plan was to go back and stitch stars onto the blue to give them the U.S. flag look.  I thought it would be a ton easier to do than it actually was.  After many failed attempts (on a swatch of the blue yarn that I had knitted for testing my embroidery ideas), I finally had the solution.

Waste fabric.
 
I knew there was a reason I bought that waste canvas stuff ages ago. It was just sitting there, patiently waiting for the day when I realized what I needed it for. I'd never used waste fabric before, but I have done a bit of cross-stitch in the past.  The instructions on using the waste cloth were clear and so I tested it out on my knitted swatch to see how it would look.  Both my husband and eldest son agreed with me that it looked good, and so my cross-stitched stars came to be.  Although my initial design had multiple stars stitched on the blue background, I decided to just stitch one star on each hat since the cross-stitching technique is rather time-consuming and I really wanted to get these hats finished before the Fourth of July.  I'm pleased with the results and like the "lone star" look.

my cross-stitched star!

These hats will make a special addition to any photographer's newborn prop bag--especially considering that besides the Fourth of July holiday season, there are a lot of wonderful military families who would truly appreciate having a patriotic hat used for their newborn's first photos.

patriotic hat #1

patriotic hat #2

These two hats are basically the same, but I noticed they do have a few minor variances.  They're a couple inches different in overall length and the blue portions are just a row or two different in height as well.  I've listed them as the individuals that they are.

More hats are in the works!  I have two new long-tailed elf hats in bright summer colors--that are going to be listed either tomorrow or the next day!  And here are a couple sneak peeks of a newsboy set--I have plans to make more of these soon!

photo props

For a couple weeks there, I really felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere with my knitting.  I did design a couple pairs of fingerless mitts, but I need more of the same yarn before I can make them to sell.  So I did an inventory of the yarns I have and realized that there were still a few items I had planned to make and sell that I hadn't gotten around to yet.

But I can finally say there are a couple new listings in my Etsy shop!

First, we have a newborn cocoon in a tweedy brown.  Great for keeping baby warm in between shots and makes a great prop too!

Next, we have a set of 2 newborn striped elf hats--one for a boy and one for a girl.  The long-tails on these could be a potential danger to a newborn, so these aren't for every day use.  But with adult supervision they make an adorable photo prop for baby's first photo shoot!  I decided to sell them together as a set.  That way a photographer could have one of each and since they're a near-perfect match, the set would be perfect for boy-girl twins.

I'll have to go over my to-do list again and see what I can make next.  It's nice to be working again.

new design: {unnamed} mitts

Here they are at long last!  These are the mitts I made just over a week ago.  With the busy Easter holiday, I didn't have a chance to photograph them until today.

Although I would be the first to tell you I hate having my picture taken, I decided the best way to "show off" these beauties is to wear them--and show them being worn.  So, I imagined myself as a knitwear model and had my eldest son once again pretend to be a photographer.  Thankfully, he likes to take photos--especially when it means he gets to use his daddy's fancy camera.  {I like using his daddy's camera too!} I know these aren't the greatest photos, but for now, they'll do.

All dressed up with nowhere to go:

My little guy being silly during the "shoot"

Ribbed texture.  Frilled at the cuff.  Small eyelets at the knuckles.

 

A little more relaxed look:

Closest to actual color of mitts (at least on my monitor!)

 

The nice thing about this design is its versatility.  

These mitts really look great whether you wear them with a dress or your favorite jeans and t-shirt.

Click on your reaction below to let me know what you think of this new design!

spring cowl

I finally have a couple shots of me modeling the new cowl described in my last post.

My 11-year-old son had the privilege of being my photographer today.  I think he did a pretty good job too! And now you can see how the cowl looks on a person instead of just hanging on a bedpost.

So tell me what you think!  {I'll even say "please!"}

How does it look?  {No, not how do I look--that's not the issue here.  I really want to know how the cowl looks!}

Do you like the drape?  What do you think of the lacy texture? 

Would you like to see it in another color? If so, what would you suggest?

Any other thoughts/suggestions for revising this design or do you like it as it is?

I await your comments!!!

new design: spring cowl

I have a question for you.  Well, it's mostly for the folks at my church who saw me yesterday, but I'll take input from anyone reading this post!  Did you notice the cowl I was wearing?  It's one I designed myself this past week.  I'm looking for some feedback on the design/style. 

For those of you who weren't blessed to see me yesterday, here's a peek at it:

cowl is shaped so bottom is wider than top

lace texture close-up

the drape of the cowl

I know it's not super-easy to visualize it on a person since I'm not wearing it in the photo, but I'm still in my jammies this morning and want to get this post done.  <smile>

It's made with bright white chunky-weight yarn.  I used a lacy and lightweight texture and shaped it so the top is narrower than the bottom.  It might be a tad too warm for summer (unless you live in Northern Minnesota like me!), so I'd say the style could be a 3-season cowl. 

So...what say you?
Do you like it?
Would you wear it?
Would you buy one?
Would you give it as a gift to a loved one?
 

You can leave your feedback here or on my Facebook page!

I look forward to seeing what everyone says!

seeking inspiration

We're getting close to Easter now.  I'm guessing that not very many more orders will come in for my bunny hats, but I still have a few ready-made and for sale on Etsy. It'll be nice if they find new homes before the season is over.

Although there are quite a few other baby props I could be making--cocoons, baby bowls or pods, jester hats, pompom hats, bomber hats--not very many of them are appropriate for spring and summer.  So I've started looking for ideas and inspiration for new items I can make that are better suited for spring & summer. 

I'd like to design some new fingerless mitts for spring.  I think using different color(s), length(s), and texture(s) would not only add variety but may interest a wider range of customers too.  I also think I might like to try making some lightweight scarves, cowls, or even shawls too.  I could use some ideas for baby or child items too.

I'd love your input, suggestions, ideas, inspiration.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Thanks!

Giveaway Time!

Spring is in the air (sort of), Easter is right around the corner, and I'm thrilled to have my Etsy shop up and running!  I think it's a good time to hold a little contest/giveaway!  If you've already been following perfectioKnits, you know that I am very grateful to be able to work with an incredibly talented photographer, Sarah Homme. Beyond Ordinary Photography by Sarah is soon-to-be-open,  and she has decided to have her Grand Opening giveaway at the same time I'm doing mine!  So once you've finished leaving your entries here, go and check out Sarah's blog and enter her giveaway too! 

MY PRIZES
In honor of Spring, since it is officially that season now despite the snow still covering most of the ground here in northern Minnesota, I'm giving away a pair of my knitted Katelyn mitts, a perfectioKnits original design, in a Ladies' size Medium.  These mitts are the perfect accessory to keep your hands and wrists warm while walking and enjoying the reawakening of God's creation, driving your car, or just catching up on Facebook at your computer keyboard.

left mitt is completed!  right mitt is almost done too!

Next, to celebrate the upcoming Easter season, I'm giving away an adorable crocheted newborn bunny hat. This sweet little hat with bunny ears is perfect for a new baby's Spring or Easter photos!  Would make a wonderful photographer's prop or a really cute gift!  The main color is a lovely brown with cream highlights and for the inner ears I've used an equally lovely cream color to contrast.

newborn bunny hat in brown w/cream

And finally, just to celebrate the opening of my Etsy shop and the new beginning that it represents for me, a pair of crocheted newborn booties in brown.  These adorable little booties would be the perfect little "shoe" for a new little man, and could be equally cute on a little miss!  The buttoned flap keeps the "shoe" on baby's foot.  [Design by Cassi Ence at Polka Dot Posh]

newborn booties in my four year old's hands

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST 
{updated 4/06/2011to clarify}


MANDATORY ENTRY (do this first!!!)
"FOLLOW" this blog and then leave a comment describing which perfectioKnits item you like best!  (1 entry)

EXTRA ENTRIES
"Like" perfectioKnits on Facebook  (+1 entry)
Leave a message or comment on perfectioKnits's Facebook wall/photo (+1 entry)
{NEW!!} TAG perfectioKnits with a post to your Facebook wall  (i.e. you could post "I ♥ @perfectioKnits!") (+ 1 entry)
"Heart" your favorite item in perfectioKnits's Etsy shop  or "Heart" my shop!  (+1 entry)
Blog about this giveaway!  (+3 entries)

<<<< Don't forget to come back to this blog post and leave a new comment for each entry activity that you do! >>>>

Giveaway begins March 30, 2011 and ends at midnight CST on April 9, 2011. Entries must be in the comments of this post to be counted (i.e. don't leave your entry comments on any another posts I might write).  Three winners will be chosen by a random number generator.  Winners will be notified via email, and also posted here. Entries valid within the US. Each winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn.

not limited to baby knits

Although I am primarily making baby items to sell at this time, I do love making (and wearing!) fingerless mitts. I currently have this pair listed on Etsy, with plans to make more very soon!

Katelyn Mitts (back of hand)

Katelyn Mitts (palm side)

Katelyn mitts (modeled by me!)

This design is a perfectioKnits original!  I used an off-center leaf motif to decorate the back of the hands and ribbing at both the cuff and top of mitt. I call these my Katelyn Mitts {named after my niece Katie} whom I originally designed them for. 

Fingerless mitts work wonderfully to keep your hands warm while driving, doing computer-work, knitting, crocheting, reading, watching tv--really just about any time you want warmer hands with your fingers free from the bulkiness of mittens or gloves.

In fact, I could use a pair right now.  Brrr!  I just realized my hands are freezing!  I guess I'd better go put on a pair of my own!

items listed!

It's just a start, but I do have a few items listed on Etsy!  I'm so excited!

Keep watching as a variety of new items will be added soon!  I'm trying to keep myself from watching Etsy, knowing that these things {selling items}take time.  So I've got a bunch of projects queued up on my to-do list and am going to keep making more items so I'll have even more to sell soon!

Keep on the lookout for a giveaway coming to my FB page &/or this blog real soon!  I'm still working out the details but I'm thinking it may have an Easter theme. {smile}


Now for some new photos!!!!  Sarah took some really cute ones of her little Teddy this week!  I just love seeing more of my hand-knit items on a real baby!  Too cute!

Teddy Hat--designed by perfectioKnits especially for Theodore!

Jester hat, Lemongrass (green)

Elf hat, brown and light blue stripes

Newborn lace wrap

In case you are wondering:

Yes, I do create SOME of my own designs.  Teddy's hat is a perfectioKnits original.  It's also a OOAK (one of a kind).  So no, I won't be making more--at least not at this time.  

Some of my designs, like Teddy's hat, are more or less straight from my brain.  True, the bear hat idea isn't at all new, but I feel that my interpretation of it was fresh and original.

Some of my designs are based on items I've seen or ideas that someone gives me (usually because they saw an item and want to know if I can make it too).  I prefer NOT to try and copy other people's ideas and work and strive to either improve or change the design to make it my own if possible.

And some of my items are made with the help of purchased or free patterns which have given knitters like myself selling rights. I really appreciate designers who allow this as many (actually most) patterns have "all rights reserved" which means it's technically not legal for a knitter to make and sell the item without getting permission from the pattern designer first.  I won't bore you with the details of copyright laws and how it pertains to knitting, but if you really find yourself interested in this topic there's a really good {but also rather long} article about it here.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

i'd rather be knitting!

Each day I get a little more organized, and a little closer to the day when I will actually post an item in my Etsy shop.

I guess I didn't take into consideration how much time some of this would take me. Plus I can't completely focus on my perfectioKnits business--I still have to home-school my kids, try and keep my house under some semblance of control, and have time for knitting new items.  All this business stuff just kind of stresses me out.  {I'd rather be knitting!} 

There's still so much I need to do.  I have yet to figure out prices and shipping costs for the items I want to sell. I have to decide on and post my shop policies.  I do have some packaging/shipping supplies on order (finally!) and my hubby has agreed to find time to design and print me out a few business cards soon.  Speaking of business cards, some day I hope to buy some Moo business cards and/or Moo mini cards but I know that first I need to establish my product line and then figure out the best way to take some good quality product-only photos.  It would also be helpful to know which of my items my customers like best before I order any special photo-business cards.

My new {replacement} checks for my business account came.  They're still not printed the way I wanted (they put my business name on the same line as my name instead of beneath it like we requested), but at least my name is spelled correctly this time.  These will do for now, but I certainly won't be re-ordering checks through my bank!   

Sarah had a photo session with her 6 month old nephew yesterday. Here's a photo with a hat I made especially for this session. Of course, she'll get to use it as a prop on other adorable little guys too!  <smile>

earflap hat by perfectioKnits

Actually, this is the second hat I made for this session. 
The first, although it's adorable, ended up a bit small.

 

I couldn't get to Michael's to get more of the same yarn--I hate that the nearest store is a two hour drive from here and that Michael's doesn't have an online store!  I ended up ordering a different self-striping yarn from WEBS and hoped it would work.   As you can see, the two yarns were a bit different, but both look nice.

new yarn on order!

I just ordered more yarn!  I'm so excited!  I've bought a few new-to-me yarns to try out.  Looking for a few good yarns (that won't cost me an arm and a leg!) to use on a regular basis here.  Hope I may have found some good ones! 


Sarah tested out my roll brim hat (boring name, I know!) and another baby pod I made.  Here's a couple photos of the little beauty she photographed with them.

roll brim hat {with little lulus flower clip} and baby pod

I love how the Little Lulus clip makes the hat a bit girlier.  So cute!  Makes the hat a tad more versatile too.  Without the clip, a baby boy could wear it and would look super cute. Add a lovely little flower clip like this one and it's also perfect for a girl! 

Anyways, last night I started working on a lace wrap (infant photo prop).  I've seen some lacy baby wraps on Etsy and thought they were adorable.  So I decided to go ahead and make one myself without a pattern.  It's very basic and a pattern isn't really needed--just a little test knitting to determine how many stitches to cast on. I like how mine looks already.  I do think these look so sweet with the baby's toes or fingers peeking through the lace, so I'm hoping it turns out nice.  This first one is going to be mine to keep as a sample, but I bought 2 more balls of the same kind of yarn so I can make some to sell too.  I'll get some photos of it posted when it's done!

new photos

Here are a few more great photos using items I made for Beyond Ordinary Photography.  Sarah does such an awesome job!

custom toddler girl hat with cable brim

It's my hope/plan to be able to offer custom-made items for others besides Sarah. But that will require having a good supply of yarns on hand. And I'm not quite ready to invest a lot more into this venture until I start selling (and thereby have more money to put back into my business).

jester hat (again)

baby pod (again)

baby bomber hat (version 2.0) in brown

I'm not-so-patiently waiting for Sarah to test out {and photograph} some of the other items I've made. She's been so sweet in helping me with determining if my items are sized correctly and if anything needs to be changed to look or fit better. For example, the baby bomber hats here are slightly different in shape/size from the original, but they fit and {I think} look better now.

baby bomber hat (version 2.0) in gray

Since most of the items I've made lately are also for newborns, I must wait till Sarah's next newborn shoot which is scheduled for sometime after the babe arrives. [I'm selfishly hoping the mom-to-be has her wee one a bit early so we can get those photos taken!] In the meantime, I'm keeping busy with homeschooling my two boys, figuring out the details behind what it's going to take for me to sell on Etsy, and {of course!} lots of knitting and crocheting.